CATHAL HAYDEN: HANDED DOWN
Originally recorded in the late 1980s and released on cassette, this is the first solo album by the great Pomeroy banjo and fiddle player, better known as a member of the now defunct Four Men and a Dog. An All-Ireland banjo champion with great flair for variation, Hayden had picked up the fiddle only a few years before making this recording, but you wouldn't know it from listening to this. Excellent accompaniments by Arty McGlynn (guitar) and Ringo McDonagh (bodhran). The only weakness, betraying the origins of the recordings, is the rather lackluster sound quality.
Rating: ***
Price: $18.99
